It is generally known to apply cold compresses to male genitalia to relieve swelling, bruising, inflammation, hemorrhaging, pain and like symptoms/complications caused by a trauma, e.g., a sports injury, or by a surgical procedure, e.g., a vasectomy, a circumcision, or a urological disease associated with the treatment of epididymitis, orchitis, hydroceles, spermatoceles, varicoceles, inguinal hernia repair, cancer, gonorrhea, clamydia, etc. Cold compresses have also been applied to male genitalia to promote male fertility. It is also known to apply heating packs/pads to male genitalia for post-operative treatment to manage pain, to dilate blood vessels in targeted tissue, and to enhance perfusion to the targeted tissue.
Yet, despite their beneficial therapeutic effects, it is often difficult to apply the cold compresses/heating packs to swollen/affected scrotal areas of differently sized individuals suffering from different levels of injury due to the different anatomical locations, shapes, and sizes of the swollen/affected scrotal areas. Sometimes, the individuals are generally supine and may even be anesthetized or unconscious. Often, ice, water bags, or frozen gel packs are simply placed on top of an individual's penis, thereby only partially cooling the individual's scrotum, and applying very little, if any, pressure directly to the swollen/affected scrotal areas. Sometimes, rolled-up towels are placed underneath the scrotum to increase blood circulation. However, such towels often shift relative to the individual over time, thereby decreasing their efficacy.
Sometimes, frozen gel packs are removably placed in pockets within a cloth garment to be worn over an individual's pelvic area. Yet, such gel pack-filled pockets may not directly overlie, or provide any significant pressure directly to, the swollen/affected scrotal area, thereby leading to an ineffective cooling pressure treatment. In any event, it is often difficult for heath care workers to position and arrange such a cloth garment on a lower torso of a supine/anesthetized/unconscious individual.
Accordingly, there is a need for an apparatus and method for treating male genitalia, both human and animal, with thermal therapy by effectively applying a cooling/heating temperature and/or a treatment pressure directly to targeted portions of a scrotal area for various purposes, such as the relief and treatment of post-operative and post-trauma symptoms/complications, as well as for the enhancement of male fertility.
Skilled artisans will appreciate that elements in the figures are illustrated for simplicity and clarity and have not necessarily been drawn to scale. For example, the dimensions of some of the elements in the figures may be exaggerated relative to other elements to help to improve understanding of embodiments of the present invention.
The apparatus and method components have been represented where appropriate by conventional symbols in the drawings, showing only those specific details that are pertinent to understanding the embodiments of the present invention so as not to obscure the disclosure with details that will be readily apparent to those of ordinary skill in the art having the benefit of the description herein.